A hybrid air vehicle is a type of air vehicle (may also referred to as an aircraft or an airship) that combines the characteristics of aviation technologies such as heavier-than-air (HTA) aircraft, lighter-than-air (LTA) vehicles, fixed wing aircraft, helicopter, hovercraft and similar others to perform desired functions. Hybrid air vehicles are currently under development that combine the advantages of an aerodynamic shape with the cargo capacity, simplicity, and low operating costs of LTA vehicles. Uses for such vehicles include cargo transport, telecommunications platforms, surveillance, emergency response, advertising platforms, and tourism, among others.
LTA vehicles are typically slow and difficult to maneuver. Yet, it is desirable to develop a hybrid air vehicle capable of take off and landing in a minimum amount of space. Traditional LTA vehicles with an air cushioned landing system (ACLS) have been proposed to reduce the take off and landing space requirement. However, many traditional ACLS systems have fixed configurations during take off and landing and also during the flight. This increases drag and reduces fuel efficiency. More recently, some LTA vehicles include an ACLS system that is operable in dual modes including a take off and landing mode that is suitable for landing and take off, and a flight mode that is suitable for operation during the flight of the vehicle. However, traditional tools and techniques that are used for enabling the dual mode ACLS system to transition between the flight mode and the take off and landing mode are often impractical, inefficient, and prone to frequent failures.